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Month: September 2015

Oops, The Queen didn’t realize that the first Thursday of October is … this week. No stress, we are all set up at Amsterdam Café from 7 pm. A great suggestion from beATLe Steven, one of our most committed beATLes! Due to the rush, this is typed on the parking lot, from my cell so the RSVP link will be added this evening (please come back to “register”).

Amsterdam Café – Video Bar – Sports Bar – Dance Bar – Cafe – is located within Amsterdam Walk and is facing Piedmont Park – so drive to the end of the shopping center. There is a nice covered terrace that we will use [weather permitting] and this should allow real conversations!

Logistics:

Date: Thursday October 1st, 2015 from 7 pm

Address: 502 Amsterdam Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Parking: ample parking at and around the café. Could be valet in the evening…

Dear Belgian Citizens, join Hon. Nathan Deal, Governor of Georgia, and Mrs. Sandra Deal, at the Capitol, for a World War I and World War II Remembrance Ceremony that will be attended by our compatriot Hon. Geert Bourgeois, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders.

The ceremony is in honor of Georgians who fought during those wars. Georgians who fought alongside Dutch and Belgian troops in recent wars in Korea, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq will also be honored.

Formidable resumes perfectly Stromae’s performance last night at the Buckhead Theatre. Our national maestro was in a superb shape, totally connected with his audience, respectuous of his team … As a rap/hip-hop version of a modern Jacques Brel with powerful songs based on personal experiences and realities of life, he blew us away. Our compatriot is not just a singer, a musician and a composer but a true entertainer. Inoubliable.

Shortly after being advertised, the concert was sold out with, as usual, a few tickets circulating on the black market at high price. We were all relieved to see it go through since the cancellation of Stormae’s previous concerts was alarming. His youngest fans were already queueing since mid afternoon and beATLe Mathilde was among the lucky ones to intercept Stromae for a selfie.

While all of his songs were sung in French, Stromae showed multilingual talents. He interacted with his public in English including French and even a few words in Spanish. This language-switch was masterly handled and was no bother. Simply said: he was understood.

Our star was accompanied by four musicians soberly dressed with bowler hats and bow ties. The stage was relatively simple but the background was a projection of animated visuals and shadows were playing a huge role.

Starting his concert dressed in black and white with his cardigan and bow tie, Mr. Paul changed outfits a few times during his show. Nothing extravagant. Simplicity being his forte.

Danse , t’inquiète pas tu vas danser… And we did. Starting his show with ‘Ta fête’, he immediately set the pace for a fabulous night. ‘Bâtard’ was next… je suis, j’étais et resterai moi…. followed by ‘Peace Or Violence’ forming a V with his longitudinal fingers.

As expected, he built up some suspense with his four Chapters each time interrupted by a retentissant TINTIN from his fans… Sitting at a corner of the stage, Chapter I gave him the chance to wipe the sweat off his face. During Chapter II we saw him put on pink lipstick and jewelry before starting the next Chapter during which he put on a pink and black jacket. Chapter IV was the performance itself: ‘Tous les mêmes’… rendez-vous, rendez-vous, rendez-vous sûrement aux prochaines règles… with dance moves demonstrating both feminine and masculine demeanors.

Many times he interrupted his show to refresh his face and at a certain moment, shuffling with his earpieces, he candidly stated ‘I am sweating inside my ears‘ …

We were thrilled to listen to ‘Quand c’est ?‘, his new but somber song [the clip was released on 9/14] dealing with the hardships of cancer. Stromae’s choreography, made of contorsions to get away from the disease’s shadowy reach, was gripping.

‘Papaoutai’ was frantically requested and Stromae, dressed in his summery blue and yellow outfit, as rigid as a a figure from Madame Tussaud, was carried onto the stage, by his musicians. They put him in standing position until he jumped back to life to perform insane moves.

Te quiero, Ave Cesaria, Formidable, Carmen, Humain à l’eau (Leçon n°23), Alors on danse were all included in his repertory. However, the evening was not all about singing … As a proud Belgian, he talked about the burger he ate but more importantly what was on the side: the fries, the Belgian fries. He also claimed the croissants to be Belgian and he was loudly applauded when he stated that even France comes from Belgium! But trèves de plaisanteries, de vannes pourries and he went on with Paulo qui aime les moules frites, sans frites et sans mayo.

At the end, a big merci appeared on the screen behind Stromae who thanked not only his public but everyone involved with his show, from his muscians to the security guards…. A real gentleman, appreciative of all. He had some humoristic gestures when, surrounded by his musicians, he tried to put an end to the concert imitating the flight attendants presenting the emergency exits.

The excited crowd insisted for une autre … Suddenly a microphone magically appeared. He ‘chuuuut’ the public and in perfect synchronization with his four musicians transformed into chorists, Stromae performed an astonishing a cappella version of Tous Les Mêmes. With powerful snaps of their fingers as only instrumental accompaniment the act was absolutely divine.

Loin d’être minable, tu étais formidable, Stromae!

I compiled a few clips from last night that you can watch here but it last slightly over 10 minutes.

Nothing to think about! The play Celles d’en haut (Women on top) directed by our Belgian compatriot Olivier Coyette, opens on Friday night – September 11th at 8 pm and will be followed by a Belgian Beer After Party sponsored by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Belgium in Atlanta, hosted by Genevieve Verbeek, Consul General of Belgium, along with Georges Hoffmann, Honorary Consul General of Luxembourg.

Inspired by sources as varied as Dante’s Inferno, Mann’s The Magic Mountain and film stills by Cindy Sherman, this new play from lauded Quebecois playwright Olivier Kemeid is set in a ’50s establishment, set apart on an isolated mountaintop. Both perceptive and hilarious, the play celebrates women of all ages and the dynamics of their relationships with each other and the world around them.

In collaboration with artists from Brussels, Montreal, Atlanta and Chicago, Théâtre du Rêve and 7 Stages present this powerful work in both English and French.

Logistics

Logistics

When – September 10 (Preview in French) – September 20, 2015 at 8 pm (check other times for Sundays)

Tickets – available for both French and English performances! Our Consulate General generously offers 8 tickets first come, first served for the performance on 9/11… Contact Marie-Hélène.

Where – 7 Stages Theatre, 1105 Euclid Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307

Parking – Located in a secure, well-lit, privately run lot behind 7 Stages. The entrance to the lot is located between Ardens Garden Juice Shop and Outback Bicycles. Park-It charges a flat fee of $2 – $7 for a full day of parking, depending on the day. Also metered street parking and free street parking.

Stromae’s concert is next … Sold out in a short time, we are all excited to see our National Star, Paul Van Haver aka Stromae, perform at the Buckhead Theatre on Sept 14th. Remember that the doors open at 6.30 pm and it is first come first ‘placed’. It is a stand-up concert, except for a few balcony seats (first come, first ‘seated’). We expect the line to be long (about 1,500 fans) and queueing will start early. Wear your Belgian colors to show your support! See you there for a memorable event!